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{{about|the country in Central America}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2011}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Guatemala
| native_name = ''República de Guatemala''
| common_name = Guatemala
| image_flag = Flag of Guatemala.svg
| image_coat = Coat of arms of Guatemala.svg
| image_map = Guatemala (orthographic projection).svg
| national_motto =
{{unbulleted list
| "Libre Crezca Fecundo"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.banguat.gob.gt/inc/ver.asp?id=/en/currency%20and%20bills/Monedas%20y%20Billetes%20Translation.htm&e=18108 |title=Ilustraciones de Cada una de las 11 Denominaciones. Anverso y Reverso |publisher=Banguat.gob.gt |date=1996-12-29 |accessdate=2013-09-22}}</ref>
| "El País de la Eterna Primavera"
| {{small|"The Land of the Eternal Spring"}}{{lower|0.2em|<ref>{{cite book |last=Aguirre |first=Lily |title=The land of eternal spring: Guatemala, my beautiful country |year=1949 |publisher=Patio Press |page=253 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=LodnAAAAMAAJ&q=land+of+the+eternal+spring&dq=land+of+the+eternal+spring&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wkMbT6KqLOja0QH2hdToCw&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA}}</ref>}}
}}
| national_anthem = ''[[Himno Nacional de Guatemala]]''<br>{{small|''National anthem of Guatemala''}}
| official_languages = [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| demonym = [[List of Guatemalans|Guatemalan]]
| ethnic_groups =
{{unbulleted list
| 59.4% [[Mestizo]]
| 9.1% [[K'iche' people|K'iche']]
| 8.4% [[Kaqchikel people|Kaqchikel]]
| 7.9% [[Mam people|Mam]]
| 6.3% [[Q'eqchi' people|Q'eqchi']]
| 8.6% other [[Maya peoples|Mayan]]
| {{nowrap|0.2% indigenous non-Mayan}}
| 0.1% others
}}
| ethnic_groups_year = 2001
| capital = [[Guatemala City]]
| latd=14 |latm=38 |latNS=N |longd=90 |longm=30 |longEW=W
| largest_city = [[Guatemala City]]
| government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[Constitutional republic|constitutional]] [[republic]]
| leader_title1 = [[President of Guatemala|President]]
| leader_name1 = [[Otto Pérez Molina]]
| leader_title2 = [[Vice President of Guatemala|Vice President]]
| leader_name2 = [[Roxana Baldetti]]
| legislature = {{nowrap|[[Congress of Guatemala|Congress of the Republic]]}}
| area_rank = 107th
| area_magnitude = 1 E11
| area_km2 = 108,889
| area_sq_mi = 42,042<!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| percent_water = 0.4
|population_estimate = 15,438,384<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ine.gob.gt/np/poblacion/index.htm | title=Poblacion de Guatemala (Demografia) | publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) | date=June 30, 2013}}</ref>
|population_estimate_year = 2013
|population_estimate_rank = 66th
|population_density_km2 = 129
|population_density_sq_mi = 348.6
|population_density_rank = 85th
| GDP_PPP = $78.681 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=70&pr.y=18&sy=2009&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=258&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a= |title=Guatemala |publisher=International Monetary Fund |accessdate=April 18, 2013}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year = 2012
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = $5,208<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_nominal = $49.880 billion<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_nominal_year = 2012
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $3,302<ref name=imf2/>
| sovereignty_type = Independence {{nobold|from the [[Spanish American wars of independence|Spanish Empire]]}}
| established_event1 = Declared
| established_date1 = 15 September 1821
| established_event2 = {{nowrap|Declared from the<br>[[First Mexican Empire]]}}
| established_date2 = 1 July 1823
| established_event3 = {{nowrap|Current constitution}}
| established_date3 = 31 May 1985
| Gini_year = 2007
| Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini = 55.1 <!--number only-->
| Gini_ref =
| Gini_rank =
| HDI_year = 2011
| HDI_change = steady <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI = 0.574 <!--number only-->
| HDI_ref = <ref name="UN">{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2011_EN_Tables.pdf |title=Human Development Report 2011 |year=2011 |publisher=United Nations |accessdate=December 22, 2011}}</ref>
| HDI_rank = 131st
| currency = [[Guatemalan quetzal|Quetzal]]
| currency_code = GTQ
| country_code = 502
| time_zone = [[Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset = −6
| drives_on = right
| calling_code = [[+502]]
| cctld = [[.gt]]
}}

'''Guatemala''',<ref>{{IPAc-en|us|audio=En-us-Guatemala.ogg|ˌ|ɡ|w|ɑː|t|i-|ˈ|m|ɑː|l|ə}} {{respell|GWAH|tə|MAH|lə}}, {{IPAc-en|uk|ˌ|ɡ|w|æ|t|i-|ˈ|m|ɑː|l|ə}} {{respell|GWAT|ə|MAH|lə}}</ref> officially the '''Republic of Guatemala''' ({{lang-es|República de Guatemala|links=no}} {{IPA-es|reˈpuβlika ðe ɣwateˈmala|}}), is a country in [[Central America]] bordered by [[Mexico]] to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, [[Belize]] to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, [[Honduras]] to the east and [[El Salvador]] to the southeast. Its area is 108,890&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (42,043&nbsp;sqmi) with an estimated population of 13,276,517.

A [[representative democracy]], its capital is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as [[Guatemala City]]. The former [[Maya civilization|Maya]]n civilization was a [[Mesoamerican]] civilization, which continued throughout the Post-Classic period until the [[Spanish conquest of Yucatán|arrival of the Spanish]]. They had lived in Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, the southern part of Mexico and eastern parts of El Salvador.

Guatemala's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems contributes to Mesoamerica's designation as a [[biodiversity hotspot]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Biodiversity Hotspots-Mesoamerica-Overview |publisher= Conservation International |url= http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots/mesoamerica/ |accessdate=February 1, 2007 }}</ref>

After independence from Spain in 1821, Guatemala was a part of the [[Federal Republic of Central America]] and after its dissolution the country suffered much of the political instability that characterized the region during mid to late 19th century. Early in the 20th century, Guatemala had a mixture of democratic governments as well as a series of dictators, the last of which were frequently assisted by the [[United Fruit Company]] and the United States government. From 1960 to 1996, Guatemala underwent a [[Guatemalan Civil War|civil war]] fought between the government and [[leftist]] rebels. Following the war, Guatemala has witnessed both economic growth and successful democratic elections. In the most recent election, held in 2011, [[Otto Pérez Molina]] of the [[Patriotic Party (Guatemala)|Patriotic Party]] won the presidency.

==Etymology==
The name "Guatemala" comes from [[Nahuatl language|Nahuatl]] [http://nah.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuauht%C4%93mall%C4%81n ''Cuauhtēmallān''], "place of many trees", a translation of [[K'iche' people|K'iche']] Mayan ''K'iche' '', "many trees".<ref>Campbell, Lyle. (1997). ''American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America''. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.</ref><ref>[http://www.ccidinc.org/programs/countries.php?country_id_number=3 www.ccidinc.org.]{{dead link|date=September 2013}} Retrieved June 26, 2012.</ref> This was the name the [[Tlaxcala|Tlaxcaltecan]] soldiers who accompanied [[Pedro de Alvarado]] during the Spanish Conquest gave to this territory.<ref>{{cite web|author=|url =http://rainforestcentralamerica.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/guatemala-rainforest-fact/ |title=Guatemala Rainforest Interesting fact &#124; rainforest facts |publisher=Rainforestcentralamerica.wordpress.com |date=2013-04-04 |accessdate=2013-09-22}}</ref>

==History==
{{main|History of Guatemala}}

===Pre-Columbian===
The first evidence of human settlers in Guatemala dates back to 12,000 BC. Some evidence suggests human presence as early as 18,000 BC, such as [[obsidian]] arrow heads found in various parts of the country.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.authenticmaya.com/ancient_guatemala.htm | title=Ancient Guatemala | publisher=Authentic Maya | author=Mary Esquivel de Villalobos | accessdate=April 29, 2007}}</ref> There is archaeological proof that early Guatemalan settlers were hunters and gatherers, but pollen samples from [[Petén Basin|Petén]] and the Pacific coast indicate that maize cultivation was developed by 3500 BC.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/hodell/ICDP/Leyden.pdf | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090206082017/http://ess.geology.ufl.edu/hodell/ICDP/Leyden.pdf | archivedate=2009-02-06 | publisher=University of Florida | title=Pollen Evidence for Climatic Variability and Cultural Disturbance in the Maya Lowlands | author=Barbara Leyden |format=PDF}}</ref> Sites dating back to 6500 BC have been found in [[Quiché department|Quiché]] in the Highlands and [[Sipacate]], [[Escuintla]] on the central Pacific coast.

Archaeologists divided the [[Pre-Columbian era|pre-Columbian]] history of Mesoamerica into the Preclassic period (2999 BC to 250 BC), the Classic period (250 to 900 AD), and the Postclassic from 900 to 1500 AD.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://weber.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/arch/mexchron.html | title=Chronological Table of Mesoamerican Archaeology | publisher=Regents of the University of California : Division of Social Sciences | accessdate=April 29, 2007}}</ref> Until recently the Preclassic was regarded as a formative period, with small villages of farmers who lived in huts, and few permanent buildings. However, this notion has been challenged by recent discoveries of monumental architecture from that period, such as an altar in [[La Blanca]], [[San Marcos department|San Marcos]], from 1000 BC; ceremonial sites at Miraflores and El Naranjo from 801 BC; the earliest monumental masks; and the [[Mirador Basin]] cities of [[Nakbé]], Xulnal, [[El Tintal]], Wakná and [[El Mirador]].

Both the El Tigre and Monos pyramids encompass a volume greater than 250,000 cubic meters,<ref>Trigger, Bruce G. and Washburn, Wilcomb E. and Adams, Richard E. W. ''The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas''. 2000, page 212.</ref> and the city lay at the center of a populous and well-integrated region.

[[File:Tikal mayan ruins 2009.jpg|thumb|[[Tikal]] Mayan ruins]]
The Classic period of [[Mesoamerican]] civilization corresponds to the height of the [[Maya civilization]], and is represented by countless sites throughout Guatemala, although the largest concentration is in Petén. This period is characterized by heavy city-building, the development of independent city-states, and contact with other Mesoamerican cultures.

This lasted until around 900 AD, when the [[Classic Maya collapse|Classic Maya civilization collapsed]].<ref>Richardson Benedict Gill (2000)."''[http://books.google.com/books?id=DRt5RnlBTq0C&pg=PA384&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q=&f=false The great Maya droughts: water, life, and death]''". University of New Mexico Press. p.384. ISBN 0-8263-2774-5</ref> The Maya abandoned many of the cities of the central lowlands or were killed off by a drought-induced famine.<ref>Dr. Richardson Gill, The Great Maya Droughts (2000), University of New Mexico Press.</ref> Scientists debate the cause of the Classic Maya Collapse, but gaining currency is the Drought Theory discovered by physical scientists studying lakebeds, ancient pollen, and other tangible evidence.<ref>Dr. Richardson Gill, The Great Maya Droughts (2000), University of New Mexico Press</ref> A series of prolonged droughts, among other reasons (such as overpopulation), in what is otherwise a seasonal desert is thought to have decimated the Maya, who were primarily reliant upon regular rainfall.<ref>Foster, Lynn V. (2000). ''A Brief History of Central America.''. New York: Facts On File, Inc. ISBN 0-8160-3962-3.</ref>

The Post-Classic period is represented by regional kingdoms, such as the [[Itza people|Itza]], [[Ko'woj]], [[Yalain]] and [[Kejache]] in Petén, and the [[Mam people|Mam]], [[K'iche' people|Ki'che']], [[Kaqchikel people|Kackchiquel]], [[Chajoma]], [[Tz'utujil people|Tz'utujil]], [[Poqomchi' people|Poqomchi']], [[Q'eqchi' people|Q'eqchi']] and [[Ch'orti' people|Ch'orti']] in the Highlands. Their cities preserved many aspects of Mayan culture, but would never equal the size or power of the Classic cities.

The Maya civilization shares many features with other Mesoamerican civilizations due to the high degree of interaction and [[cultural diffusion]] that characterized the region. Advances such as writing, [[epigraphy]], and the [[Maya calendar|calendar]] did not originate with the Maya; however, their civilization fully developed them. Maya influence can be detected from [[Honduras]], Guatemala, Northern [[El Salvador]] and to as far as central [[Mexico]], more than {{convert|1000|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the [[Geography of Mesoamerica#Maya Region|Maya area]]. Many outside influences are found in [[Maya art]] and architecture, which are thought to result from trade and cultural exchange rather than direct external conquest.

===Colonial (1519-1821)===
{{see also|Spanish conquest of Guatemala|Spanish conquest of Petén}}
[[File:Calle del Arco, Antigua Guatemala.jpg|thumb|Calle del Arco in the city of [[Antigua Guatemala]]]]
After arriving in what was named the New World, the Spanish started several expeditions to Guatemala, beginning in 1519. Before long, Spanish contact resulted in an epidemic that devastated native populations. [[Hernán Cortés]], who had led the [[Spanish conquest of Mexico]], granted a permit to Captains Gonzalo de Alvarado and his brother, [[Pedro de Alvarado]], to conquer this land. Alvarado at first allied himself with the [[Kaqchikel people|Kaqchikel nation]] to fight against their traditional rivals the [[K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj|K'iche' (Quiché) nation]]. Alvarado later turned against the Kaqchikel, and eventually held the entire region under Spanish domination.<ref>[http://www.lienzo.ufm.edu/cms/en/home Lienzo de Quauhquechollan] digital map exhibition on the History of the conquest of Guatemala.</ref> Several families of Spanish descent subsequently rose to prominence in colonial Guatemala, including the surnames de Arrivillaga, Arroyave, Alvarez de las Asturias, González de Batres, Coronado, Gálvez Corral, Mencos, Delgado de Nájera, de la Tovilla, and Varón de Berrieza.<ref>Douglas R. White [http://eclectic.ss.uci.edu/~drwhite/pub/core11Casasola.pdf The Marriage Core of the Elite Network of Colonial Guatemala] (2002), University of California, Irvine, School of Social Sciences.</ref>

During the colonial period, Guatemala was an [[Audiencia Real|Audiencia]] and a [[Captaincy|Captaincy General]] (''[[Captaincy General of Guatemala|Capitanía General de Guatemala]]'') of Spain, and a part of [[New Spain]] (Mexico).<ref>Foster 2000, pp. 69–71.</ref> The first capital was named [[Tecpan Guatemala]], founded on July 25, 1524 with the name of [[Villa de Santiago de Guatemala]] and was located near [[Iximché]], the Kaqchikel capital city. It was moved to [[Ciudad Vieja]] on November 22, 1527, when the Kaqchikel attacked the city. On September 11, 1541 the city was flooded when the lagoon in the [[Volcanic crater|crater]] of the [[Volcán de Agua|Agua Volcano]] collapsed due to heavy rains and earthquakes, and was moved {{convert|4|mi|km|0}} to [[Antigua Guatemala]], on the Panchoy Valley, now a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]. This city was destroyed by several earthquakes in 1773–1774, and the King of Spain granted the authorization to move the capital to the Ermita Valley, named after a Catholic church to the Virgen de El Carmen, in its current location, founded on January 2, 1776.

===Independence and the 19th century===
[[File:Zunil guatemala panorama.JPG|thumb|[[Zunil]], a regional city]]
On September 15, 1821, the Captaincy-general of Guatemala (formed by [[Chiapas]], Guatemala, [[El Salvador]], Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras) officially proclaimed its independence from Spain which was dissolved two years later.<ref>Foster 2000, pp. 134–136.</ref> This region had been formally subject to New Spain throughout the colonial period, but as a practical matter was administered separately. It was not until 1825 that Guatemala created its own flag.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guatemalago.com/en/home/flag |title=Flag |publisher=Guatemala Go |date= |accessdate=2013-09-22}}</ref>

The Guatemalan provinces formed the [[United Provinces of Central America]], also called the Central American Federation (Federacion de Estados Centroamericanos), which [[History of Central America|dissolved in civil war]] from 1838 to 1840. Guatemala's [[Rafael Carrera]] was instrumental in leading the revolt against the federal government and breaking apart the Union.<ref>Foster 2000, pp. 148-149.</ref> As of 1850, it was estimated that Guatemala had a population of 600,000.<ref name=Baily1>{{cite book|last=Baily|first=John|title=Central America; Describing Each of the States of Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica|year=1850|publisher=Trelawney Saunders|location=London|page=55|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/7306/view/1/55/}}</ref> During this period a region of the Highlands, [[Los Altos, Central America|Los Altos]], declared independence from Guatemala, but was annexed by Carrera, who dominated Guatemalan politics until 1865, backed by conservatives, large land owners and the church.<ref>Foster 2000,. pp. 152-160.</ref>

Guatemala's "Liberal Revolution" came in 1871 under the leadership of [[Justo Rufino Barrios]], who worked to modernize the country, improve trade, and introduce new crops and manufacturing. During this era coffee became an important crop for Guatemala.<ref>Foster 2000, pp. 173-175.</ref> Barrios had ambitions of reuniting Central America and took the country to war in an unsuccessful attempt to attain it, losing his life on the battlefield in 1885 against forces in El Salvador.

From 1898 to 1920, Guatemala was ruled by the dictator [[Manuel Estrada Cabrera]], whose access to the presidency was helped by the [[United Fruit Company]]. It was during his long presidency that the United Fruit Company became a major force in Guatemala.<ref>Frederick Douglass Opie, Black Labor Migration in Caribbean Guatemala, 1882–1923,(University of Florida Press, 2009), chapters 2–3.</ref>

===1944 to 1996, through long civil war===
[[File:Antigua guatemala 2009.JPG|thumb|A view of [[Antigua Guatemala]] from Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross), 2009]]

On July 4, 1944, dictator [[Jorge Ubico Castañeda]] was forced to resign his office in response to a wave of protests and a [[general strike]] inspired by brutal labor conditions among plantation workers.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Forster|first=Cindy|title=The Time of "Freedom": San Marcos Coffee Workers and the Radicalization of the Guatemalan National Revolution, 1944-1954|journal=Radical History Review|year=1994|volume=58|pages=35–78}}</ref> His replacement, General [[Juan Federico Ponce Vaides]], was forced out of office on October 20, 1944 by a ''coup d'état'' led by Major [[Francisco Javier Arana]] and Captain [[Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán]]. About 100 people were killed in the coup. The country was led by a [[military junta]] made up of Arana, Árbenz, and [[Jorge Toriello Garrido]].

The Junta organized Guatemala's first free election, which was won with a majority of 86% by the prominent writer and teacher [[Juan José Arévalo Bermejo]]. He had been living in exile in Argentina for 14 years. Arévalo was the first [[democratically elected]] president of Guatemala to complete the term for which he was elected. His "[[Christian socialism|Christian Socialist]]" policies were inspired to a large extent by the U.S. [[New Deal]] of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] during the [[Great Depression]]. Amongst his major policies was a new labor code designed to "right the balance" between workers and Landowners/Industrialists, that was criticized by landowners and the upper class as "communist."<ref name="Chomsky 1985 154–160">{{cite book|last=Chomsky|first=Noam|title=Turning the Tide|year=1985|publisher=South End Press|location=Boston, Massachusetts|pages=154–160}}</ref>

Arévalo was succeeded by [[Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán]], who was elected in 1951. Árbenz adopted a major [[land reform]] policy implemented under [[Decree 900]], passed in 1952. It ordered redistribution of uncultivated (fallow) lands of large estates to peasants, including indigenous Mayans. It was intended to increase production of crops and provide many peasants with income. His popular program of land reform, credit, and [[literacy]] began to diminish the extreme inequality in Guatemala, although the process of redistributing land created some conflicts.

[[File:guatemala city aerial night b.JPG|thumb|[[Guatemala City]] at night]]
In 1954, Árbenz was overthrown in a [[1954 Guatemalan coup d'état|coup]] orchestrated by the U.S. [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) on the pretext that a socialist government would become a Soviet puppet in the Western Hemisphere. Historians have alleged the CIA overthrew Árbenz to protect the property of the [[United Fruit Company]] (later [[Chiquita Brands International|Chiquita Brands International Inc.]]), a major US company that faced losing large amounts of land due to agrarian reform, and was dissatisfied with the compensation it received.<ref name="Chomsky 1985 154–160"/><ref>Nicholas Cullather, ''Secret History: The CIA's Classified Account of its Operation in Guatemala, 1952–1954'' (Stanford University Press, 1999), pp 24-7, based on the CIA archives</ref> [[Carlos Castillo Armas]], a former military officer who led the CIA-backed invasion from Honduras, was installed as president in 1954. Castillo reversed Decree 900 and ruled until he was assassinated in 1957 by a member of his personal guard (Romeo Vásquez, on July 26, 1957).

After the rigged<ref name="Chomsky 1985 154–160"/> election that followed, General [[José Miguel Ramón Ydígoras Fuentes|Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes]] assumed power. He is celebrated for challenging the Mexican president to a gentleman's [[duel]] on the bridge on the south border to end a feud on the subject of illegal fishing by Mexican boats on Guatemala's Pacific coast, two of which were sunk by the Guatemalan Air Force. Ydigoras authorized the training of 5,000 anti-[[Fidel Castro|Castro]] [[Cubans]] in Guatemala. He also provided airstrips in the region of [[Petén (department)|Petén]] for what later became the US-sponsored, failed [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]] in 1961. Ydigoras' government was ousted in 1963 when the Guatemalan Air Force attacked several military bases; the coup was led by his Defense Minister, Colonel [[Enrique Peralta Azurdia]].

In 1963, the junta permitted Arbenz to return from exile and contest and election. However, a coup from within the military, backed by the [[Kennedy Administration]] prevented the election from taking place. The new regime intensified the campaign of terror against the guerrillas that had begun under Ydígoras-Fuentes.<ref>{{cite book|last=McClintock|first=Michael|title=American Connection|year=1987}}</ref>

[[File:panajachel calle santandar guat.JPG|thumb|Calle Santander tourist street in [[Panajachel]], 2009]]
In 1966, [[Julio César Méndez Montenegro]] was elected president of Guatemala under the banner "Democratic Opening". Mendez Montenegro was the candidate of the Revolutionary Party, a center-left party which had its origins in the post-Ubico era. During this time rightist [[paramilitary]] organizations, such as the "White Hand" (''[[Mano Blanca]]''), and the Anticommunist Secret Army (''Ejército Secreto Anticomunista'') were formed. Those groups were the forerunners of the infamous "[[Death squad|Death Squads]]". Military advisers from the [[Special Forces (United States Army)|United States Army Special Forces]] (Green Berets) were sent to Guatemala to train these troops and help transform its army into a modern counter-insurgency force, which eventually made it the most sophisticated in Central America.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chomsky|first=Noam|title=Turning the Tide|year=1985|publisher=South End Press|location=Boston, Massachusetts}}</ref>

In 1970, Colonel [[Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio]] was elected president. By 1972, members of the guerrilla movement entered the country from Mexico and settled in the Western Highlands. In the [[Guatemalan general election, 1974|disputed election of 1974]], General [[Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García|Kjell Laugerud García]] defeated General [[Efraín Ríos Montt]], a candidate of the Christian Democratic Party, who claimed that he had been cheated out of a victory through fraud.

On February 4, 1976, a major earthquake destroyed several cities and caused more than 25,000 deaths, especially among the poor, whose housing was substandard. The government's failure to respond rapidly to the aftermath of the earthquake and to relieve homelessness, gave rise to widespread discontent, which contributed to growing popular unrest. In 1978, in a fraudulent election, General [[Romeo Lucas García]] assumed power.

The 1970s saw the rise of two new guerrilla organizations, the Guerrilla Army of the Poor (EGP) and the Organization of the People in Arms (ORPA). They began guerrilla attacks that included urban and rural warfare, mainly against the military and some of the civilian supporters of the army. The army and the paramilitary forces responded with a brutal counter-insurgency campaign that resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lafeber|first=Walter|title=Inevitable Revolutions|year=1983|page=165}}</ref> In 1979, the U.S. president, [[Jimmy Carter]], who had until then been providing public support for the government forces, ordered a ban on all military aid to the Guatemalan Army because of its widespread and systematic abuse of human rights.<ref name="Chomsky 1985 154–160"/> However, documents have since come to light that suggest that American aid continued throughout the Carter years, through clandestine channels.<ref>{{cite book|last=McClintock|first=Michael|title=The American Connection Vol II|year=1987|pages=216–7}}</ref>

On January 31, 1980, a group of indigenous [[K'iche' people|K'iche']] took over the Spanish Embassy to protest army massacres in the countryside. The Guatemalan government launched an assault with armed forces that killed almost everyone inside due to a [[Burning of the Spanish Embassy|a fire that consumed the building]]. The Guatemalan government claimed that the activists set the fire, [[Self-immolation|immolating themselves]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,950248,00.html |title=Outright Murder |publisher=Time.com |date=February 11, 1980 |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref> But, the Spanish ambassador, who survived the fire, disputed this claim, saying that the Guatemalan police intentionally killed almost everyone inside and set the fire to erase traces of their acts. As a result, the government of Spain broke diplomatic relations with Guatemala.

This government was overthrown in 1982 and General [[Efraín Ríos Montt]] was named President of the military junta. He continued the bloody campaign of torture, [[forced disappearance]]s, and "[[scorched earth]]" warfare. The country became a [[pariah state]] internationally. Ríos Montt was overthrown by General [[Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores]], who called for an election of a national constitutional assembly to write a new constitution, leading to a free election in 1986, which was won by [[Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo|Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo]], the candidate of the Christian Democracy Party.

In 1982, the four guerrilla groups, EGP, ORPA, FAR and PGT, merged and formed the [[Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity|URNG]], influenced by the [[El Salvador|Salvador]]an guerrilla [[Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front|FMLN]], the [[Nicaragua]]n [[Sandinista National Liberation Front|FSLN]] and [[Cuba]]'s government, in order to become stronger. As a result of the Army's "scorched earth" tactics in the countryside, more than 45,000 Guatemalans fled across the border to Mexico. The Mexican government placed the refugees in camps in [[Chiapas]] and [[Tabasco]].

In 1992, the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] was awarded to [[Rigoberta Menchú]] for her efforts to bring international attention to the government-sponsored, US backed [[genocide]] against the [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] population.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burgos-Debray|first=Elizabeth|title=I, Rigoberta Menchu|year=2010|publisher=Verso}}</ref>

===Since 1996===
[[File:Chichicastenango market 2009.JPG|thumb|Outdoor market in [[Chichicastenango]], 2009]]
The [[Guatemalan Civil War]] ended in 1996 with a peace accord between the guerrillas and the government, negotiated by the United Nations through intense brokerage by nations such as Norway and Spain. Both sides made major concessions. The guerrilla fighters disarmed and received land to work. According to the U.N.-sponsored [[truth commission]] the ("[[Commission for Historical Clarification]]"), government forces and state-sponsored, CIA trained paramilitaries were responsible for over 93 percent of the human rights violations during the war.<ref name=RightsViolations>{{cite web |accessdate=December 26, 2006 |url=http://shr.aaas.org/guatemala/ceh/report/english/conc2.html |title=Conclusions: Human rights violations, acts of violence and assignment of responsibility |work=Guatemala: Memory of Silence |publisher=Guatemalan Commission for Historical Clarification}}</ref>{{dead link|date=September 2013}}

Over the last few years, millions of documents related to crimes committed during the civil war were found abandoned by the former Guatemalan police. Among millions of documents found, there was evidence that the former police chief of Guatemala, [[Hector Bol de la Cruz]] had been involved in the kidnapping and murder of 27-year-old student Fernando Garcia in 1984. The evidence was used to prosecute the former police chief. The families of over 45,000 Guatemalan activists are now reviewing the documents (which have been digitized) and this could lead to further legal actions. Paradoxically, the current democratically elected president, Otto Pérez Molina, could be a barrier to further legal action as he, a retired general, was the head of intelligence in Guatemala during the civil war.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europapress.es/latam/guatemala/noticia-guatemala-archivos-hallados-2005-podrian-ayudar-esclarecer-crimenes-cometidos-guerra-civil-20120209183355.html |title=Los archivos hallados en 2005 podrían ayudar a esclarecer los crímenes cometidos durante la guerra civil |language= {{es icon}} |publisher=Europapress.es |date=2012-02-09 |accessdate=2013-09-22}}</ref>

During the first ten years, the victims of the state-sponsored terror were primarily students, workers, professionals, and opposition figures, but in the last years they were thousands of mostly rural [[Maya peoples|Mayan]] farmers and non-combatants. More than 450 Mayan villages were destroyed and over 1 million people became displaced within Guatemala or refugees. Over 200,000 people, mostly Mayan, lost their lives during the civil war.<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6216414.stm Gibson film angers Mayan groups]". BBC News. December 8, 2006.</ref><ref>"[http://www.ppu.org.uk/genocide/g_guatemala1.html GENOCIDE - GUATEMALA]"</ref>

In certain areas, such as [[Baja Verapaz]], the Truth Commission considered that the Guatemalan state engaged in an intentional policy of genocide against particular ethnic groups in the [[Guatemalan Civil War|Civil War]].<ref name=RightsViolations /> In 1999, U.S. president [[Bill Clinton]] stated that the United States was wrong to have provided support to Guatemalan military forces that took part in the brutal civilian killings.<ref name=Babington1999>{{cite news |accessdate=September 21, 2013 |title=Clinton: Support for Guatemala Was Wrong |author=Babington, Charles |work=Washington Post |date=March 11, 1999 |pages=Page A1|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/daily/march99/clinton11.htm}}</ref>

Since the peace accords, Guatemala has witnessed both economic growth and successive democratic elections, most recently in 2011. In the 2011 elections, [[Otto Pérez Molina]] of the [[Patriotic Party (Guatemala)|Patriotic Party]], won the presidency. He assumed office on January 14, 2012. He named [[Roxana Baldetti]] as his vice president.

On January 12, 2012, Efrain Rios Montt, former President of Guatemala during the military dictatorship, appeared in a Guatemalan court on genocide charges. During the hearing, the government presented evidence of over 100 incidents involving at least 1,771 deaths, 1,445 rapes, and the displacement of nearly 30,000 Guatemalans during his 17-month rule from 1982-1983, according to the ''Washington Post'', BBC, ''Siglo XXI'' {{es icon}}, and the ''LA Times''. The prosecution wanted him incarcerated because of his potential for flight but the judge ruled that he can remain out on bail. He was placed under house arrest and was watched by the Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC). On May 10, 2013, Rios Montt was found guilty and sentenced to 80 years in prison. It marks the first time, a former head of state was found guilty for genocide by national court.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/world/americas/gen-efrain-rios-montt-of-guatemala-guilty-of-genocide.html?_r=0</ref>

The estimated median age in Guatemala is 20 years old, 19.4 for males and 20.7 years for females.<ref name="cia">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html |title=CIA World Factbook, Guatemala |month=July |year=2011 |accessdate=22 December 2011}}</ref> This is the lowest [[median]] age of any country in the Western Hemisphere and comparable to most of central Africa and Iraq.

==Governance==

===Political system===
{{main|Politics of Guatemala}}
[[File:El Congreso de la República.JPG|thumb|[[Congress of the Republic of Guatemala]].]]
Guatemala is a constitutional democratic republic whereby the [[President of Guatemala]] is both [[head of state]] and [[head of government]], and of a [[multi-party system]]. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the government and the [[Congress of the Republic of Guatemala|Congress of the Republic]]. The [[judiciary]] is independent of the executive and the legislature.

[[Otto Pérez Molina]] is the current President of Guatemala.

===Departments and municipalities===
{{main|Departments of Guatemala|Municipalities of Guatemala}}
[[File:GuatemalaProvs.PNG|thumb|Internal [[departments of Guatemala]]]]
[[File:Guatemala-CIA WFB Map.png|thumb|A map of Guatemala]]

Guatemala is divided into 22 [[Department (subnational entity)|departments]] (''departamentos'') and sub-divided into about 334 municipalities (''municipios'').

The [[Departments of Guatemala|departments]] are:
#[[File:Coat of arms of Alta Verapaz.png|25px]] [[Alta Verapaz Department|Alta Verapaz]]
#[[File:Coat of arms of Baja Verapaz.gif|25px]] [[Baja Verapaz Department|Baja Verapaz]]
#[[File:Coat of arms of Chimaltenango Department.gif|25px]] [[Chimaltenango Department|Chimaltenango]]
#[[File:Coat of arms of Chiquimula.gif|25px]] [[Chiquimula Department|Chiquimula]]
#[[File:Flag of Petén.svg|border|25px]] [[Petén Department|Petén]]
# [[El Progreso Department|El Progreso]]
#[[File:..El Quiché Flag(GUATEMALA).png|25px]] [[Quiché Department|El Quiché]]
#[[File:..Escuintla Flag(GUATEMALA).png|25px]] [[Escuintla Department|Escuintla]]
#[[File:Coat of arms of Guatemala Department.gif|25px]] [[Guatemala Department|Guatemala]]
#[[File:Huehuetenango Flag with Coat.png|25px]] [[Huehuetenango Department|Huehuetenango]]
#[[File:..Izabal Flag(GUATEMALA).png|25px]] [[Izabal Department|Izabal]]
#[[File:Flag of Jalapa Department.gif|25px]] [[Jalapa Department|Jalapa]]
#[[File:Vlagjutiapa.gif|25px]] [[Jutiapa Department|Jutiapa]]
#[[File:Vlagquetzaltenango.gif|border|25px]] [[Quetzaltenango Department|Quetzaltenango]]
#[[File:Vlagretalhuleu.gif|border|25px]] [[Retalhuleu Department|Retalhuleu]]
#[[File:Bandera de Sacatepéquez.svg|border|25px]] [[Sacatepéquez Department|Sacatepéquez]]
#[[File:Vlagsanmarcos.gif|border|25px]] [[San Marcos Department|San Marcos]]
#[[File:Coat of arms of Santa Rosa.gif|25px]] [[Santa Rosa Department, Guatemala|Santa Rosa]]
#[[File:Vlagsolola.gif|border|25px]] [[Sololá Department|Sololá]]
#[[File:..Suchitepéquez Flag(GUATEMALA).png|border|25px]] [[Suchitepéquez Department|Suchitepéquez]]
#[[File:Vlagtotonicapan.gif|border|25px]] [[Totonicapán Department|Totonicapán]]
#[[File:..Zacapa Flag(GUATEMALA).png|border|25px]] [[Zacapa Department|Zacapa]]

Guatemala is heavily centralized. Transportation, communications, business, politics, and the most relevant urban activity takes place in [[Guatemala City]]. Guatemala City has about 2 million inhabitants within the city limits and more than 5 million within the urban area. This is a significant percentage of the population (14 million).<ref name="cia"/>

==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Guatemala}}
[[File:Quetzaltenango farm highlands 2009.jpg|thumb|The highlands of [[Quetzaltenango]]]]

Guatemala lies between latitudes [[13th parallel north|13°]] and [[18th parallel north|18°N]], and longitudes [[88th meridian west|88°]] and [[93rd meridian west|93°W]].

The country is mountainous with small desert and sand dune patches, hilly valleys, except for the south coastal area and the vast northern lowlands of [[Petén (department)|Petén]] department. Two mountain chains enter Guatemala from west to east, dividing the country into three major regions: the highlands, where the mountains are located; the Pacific coast, south of the mountains and the Petén region, north of the mountains. All major cities are located in the highlands and Pacific coast regions; by comparison, Petén is sparsely populated. These three regions vary in climate, elevation, and landscape, providing dramatic contrasts between hot, humid tropical lowlands and colder, drier highland peaks. [[Volcán Tajumulco]], at 4,220 m, is the highest point in the Central American states.

The rivers are short and shallow in the Pacific drainage basin, larger and deeper in the Caribbean and the [[Gulf of Mexico]] drainage basins, which include the [[Polochic River|Polochic]] and [[Dulce River (Guatemala)|Dulce River]]s, which drain into [[Lake Izabal]], the [[Motagua River]], the Sarstún that forms the boundary with Belize, and the [[Usumacinta River]], which forms the boundary between Petén and [[Chiapas]], Mexico.

Guatemala has long claimed all or part of the territory of neighboring Belize, currently an independent [[Commonwealth Realm]] which recognises [[Queen Elizabeth II]] as its [[Head of State]]. Due to this territorial dispute, Guatemala did not recognize Belize's independence until 1990, but the dispute is not resolved. Negotiations are currently underway under the auspices of the [[Organization of American States]] and the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] to conclude it.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.asil.org/insights/insigh59.htm | publisher=American Society of International Law | work=ASIL Insights | title=OAS Mediates in Belize-Guatemala Border Dispute | author=Montserrat Gorina-Ysern | accessdate=April 29, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title=Historia General de Guatemala | isbn=84-88622-07-4 | author=Jorge Luján Muñoz, director general. | year=2005 | publisher=Asociación de Amigos del País | location=Guatemala}}</ref>

===Natural disasters===
Guatemala's location between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean makes it a target for hurricanes, such as [[Hurricane Mitch]] in 1998 and [[Hurricane Stan]] in October 2005, which killed more than 1,500 people. The damage was not wind related, but rather due to significant [[flooding]] and resulting [[mudflow|mudslides]]. The most recent was [[Tropical Storm Agatha (2010)|Tropical Storm Agatha]] in late May 2010 that killed more than 200.

[[File:guatemala town volcanic crater.jpg|thumb|A town along the [[Pan-American Highway]] in close proximity to a volcanic crater]]
Guatemala's highlands lie along the [[Motagua Fault]], part of the boundary between the [[Caribbean Plate|Caribbean]] and [[North American Plate|North American]] [[tectonic plates]]. This fault has been responsible for several major earthquakes in historic times, including a 7.5 magnitude tremor on February 4, 1976, which killed more than 25,000 people. In addition, the [[Middle America Trench]], a major [[subduction zone]] lies off the Pacific coast. Here, the [[Cocos Plate]] is sinking beneath the Caribbean Plate, producing volcanic activity inland of the coast. Guatemala has 37 volcanoes, four of them are active: [[Pacaya]], [[Santiaguito]], [[Volcán de Fuego|Fuego]] and [[Tacaná]]. Fuego and Pacaya erupted in 2010.

Natural disasters have a long history in this geologically active part of the world. For example, two of the three [[Antigua Guatemala#History|moves]] of the capital of Guatemala have been due to volcanic mudflows in 1541 and earthquakes in 1773.

===Pacaya===
On Thursday May 27, 2010, the Pacaya volcano started erupting lava and rocks, blanketing Guatemala City with black sand (and forcing the closure of the international airport). It was declared a "state of calamity." The Pacaya volcano left about {{convert|8|cm|0|abbr=on}} of ash and sand through all of Guatemala City. Cleaning works were done.

===Biodiversity===
[[File:Lago de Atitlán 2009.JPG|Lake Atitlán|thumb|[[Lake Atitlán]]]]
The country has 14 ecoregions ranging from mangrove forests to both ocean littorals with 5 different ecosystems. Guatemala has 252 listed wetlands, including 5 lakes, 61 lagoons, 100 rivers, and 4 swamps.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060406233434/http://www.iucn.org/en/news/archive/2001_2005/press/guatemalahumedales.pdf Guatemala presenta su primer inventario de humedales en la historia]. iucn.org</ref> [[Tikal]] National Park was the first mixed UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]]. Guatemala is a country of distinct [[fauna]]. It has some 1246 known species. Of these, 6.7% are [[endemism|endemic]] and 8.1% are threatened. Guatemala is home to at least 8681 species of vascular plants, of which 13.5% are endemic. 5.4% of Guatemala is protected under IUCN categories I-V.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}}

In the department of [[Petén (department)|Petén]] lies the [[Maya Biosphere Reserve]] of 2,112,940 ha,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?code=GUA+01&mode=all |title=MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory |publisher=UNESCO |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref> making it the second largest forest in Central America after [[Bosawas]].

==Demographics==
{{main|Demographics of Guatemala}}
[[File:santiago de atitlan natives 2009.JPG|thumb|[[Tz'utujil people|Tz'utujil]] men in [[Santiago Atitlán]]]]
[[File:antigua guatemala women 2009.JPG|thumb|Indigenous Guatemalan women in [[Antigua Guatemala]]]]

According to the CIA [[World Fact Book]], Guatemala has a population of 13,824,463 (2011 est). About 59% of the population is [[Ladino people|Ladino]], also called [[Mestizo]] and European descendants, also called [[Criollo people|Criollo]]. Amerindian populations include the [[K'iche' people|K'iche']] 9.1%, [[Kaqchikel people|Kaqchikel]] 8.4%, [[Mam people|Mam]] 7.9% and [[Q'eqchi' people|Q'eqchi]] 6.3%. 8.6% of the population is "other [[Maya peoples|Mayan]]", 0.4% is indigenous non-Mayan, making the indigenous community in Guatemala about 40.5% of the population.<ref name="cia"/>

There are smaller communities present. The [[Garífuna]], who are descended primarily from Black Africans who lived with and intermarried with indigenous peoples from St. Vincent, live mainly in Livingston and [[Puerto Barrios]]. Those communities have other [[Afro-Guatemalan|blacks]] and [[mulatto]]s descended from banana workers. There are also [[Asian people|Asians]], mostly of [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] descent. Other Asian groups include [[Arab people|Arabs]] of [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] and [[Demographics of Syria|Syrian]] descent. There is also a growing [[Koreans|Korean]] community in Guatemala City and in nearby [[Mixco]], currently numbering about 10,000.<ref>Luisa Rodríguez [http://web.archive.org/web/20090330000812/http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2004/agosto/29/96392.html Guatemala como residencia]. prensalibre.com. 29 August 2004</ref> Guatemala's German population is credited with bringing the tradition of a Christmas tree to the country.<ref>[http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/trees/traditions-world.html History of the Christmas Tree]{{Dead link|date=May 2010}}</ref>

In 1900, Guatemala had a population of 885,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.populstat.info/Americas/guatemac.htm |title=Population Statistics |publisher=Populstat.info |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref> Over the course of the twentieth century the population of the country grew, the fastest growth in the Western Hemisphere. The ever-increasing pattern of immigration to the U.S. has led to the growth of Guatemalan communities in California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas, Rhode Island and elsewhere since the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=385 |title=Migration Information Statistics |publisher=Migrationinformation.org |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref>

===Largest cities===
{{Largest cities of Guatemala}}

===Diaspora===
The Civil War forced many Guatemalans to start lives outside of their country. The majority of the Guatemalan [[diaspora]] is located in the United States, with estimates ranging from 480,665<ref name="US_Census_2000">The [[2000 U.S. Census]] recorded 480,665 Guatemalan-born respondents; see Smith (2006)</ref> to 1,489,426.<ref name="MigrationDC_2006">{{cite web |author=Smith, James |year=2006 |month=April |url=http://www.migrationdrc.org/research/typesofmigration/global_migrant_origin_database.html DRC Migration, Globalisation and Poverty |title= Global Labour Mobility<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref> The difficulty in getting accurate counts for Guatemalans abroad is because many of them are refugee claimants awaiting determination of their status.<ref>{{cite web|title=Guatemalans|url=http://www.multiculturalcanada.ca/ecp/content/guatemalans.html |archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20080420083039/http://www.multiculturalcanada.ca/ecp/content/guatemalans.html |archivedate=2008-04-20 |work=multiculturalcanada.ca|date=November 2009}}</ref> Below are estimates for certain countries:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Country
!Count
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|USA}} [[USA]]
|align="right"|480,665<ref name="US_Census_2000"/> – 1,489,426<ref name="MigrationDC_2006" />
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Mexico]]
|align="right"|23,529<ref name="MigrationDC_2006" /> – 190,000
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|BLZ}} [[Belize]]
|align="right"|14,693<ref name="MigrationDC_2006" />
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Canada]]
|align="right"|14,256<ref name="MigrationDC_2006" /> – 34,665<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yorku.ca/cohesion/LARG/PDF/Guatemala-WWD-2002.pdf |title=Guatemala |format=PDF |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref>
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|GER}} [[Germany]]
|align="right"|5,989<ref name="MigrationDC_2006" />
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|HON}} [[Honduras]]
|align="right"|5,172<ref name="MigrationDC_2006" />
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|SLV}} [[El Salvador]]
|align="right"|4,209<ref name="MigrationDC_2006" />
|-
|border = "1"|{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Spain]]
|align="right"|2,491<ref name="MigrationDC_2006" /> – 5,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.embajadaguatemala.es/ |title=Embajada de Guatemala en España |publisher=Embajadaguatemala.es |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref>
|}

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Guatemala}}
[[File:Fields in Quetzaltenango.jpg|thumb|Fields in Quetzaltenango]]
[[File:indoor market zunil guatemala.JPG|thumb|An indoor market in the regional city of [[Zunil]]]]
According to the [[CIA World Factbook]], Guatemala's GDP (PPP) per capita is US$5,200; nevertheless, this [[developing country]] faces many social problems and is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with more than half of the population below the national poverty line and just over 400,000 (3.2%) unemployed. The CIA World Fact Book considers 56.2% of the population of Guatemala to be living in poverty.<ref name="cia"/><ref>{{cite web | title=Guatemala: An Assessment of Poverty |url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/EXTPA/0,,contentMDK:20207581~menuPK:443285~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:430367,00.html| publisher=World Bank |accessdate=January 9, 2009}}</ref>

[[Remittance]]s from Guatemalans who fled to the United States during the civil war now constitute the largest single source of foreign income (two thirds of exports and one tenth of GDP).<ref name="cia"/>

In recent years the exporter sector of nontraditional products has grown dynamically representing more than 53% of global exports. Some of the main products for export are fruits, vegetables, flowers, handicrafts, cloths and others. In the face of a rising demand for biofuels, the country is growing and exporting an increasing amount of raw materials for biofuel production, especially sugar cane and palm oil. Critics say that this development leads to higher prices of staple foods like corn, a major ingredient in the Guatemalan diet. As a consequence of the subsidization of US American corn, Guatemala imports nearly half of its corn from the United States that is using 40 percent of its crop harvest for biofuel production.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/science/earth/in-fields-and-markets-guatemalans-feels-squeeze-of-biofuel-demand.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1& As Biofuel Demands Grows, So Do Guatemala's Hunger Pangs]. The New York Times. January 5, 2013</ref>

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP) in 2010 was estimated at $70.15 billion USD. The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 63%, followed by the industry sector at 23.8% and the agriculture sector at 13.2% (2010 est.). Mines produce gold, silver, zinc, cobalt and nickel.<ref>Dan Oancea [http://magazine.mining.com/Issues/0901/MiningCentralAmerica.pdf Mining In Central America]{{dead link|date=September 2013}}. Mining Magazine. January 2009</ref> The agricultural sector accounts for about two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor force. Organic coffee, sugar, textiles, fresh vegetables, and bananas are the country's main exports. Inflation was 3.9% in 2010.

The 1996 peace accords that ended the decades-long civil war removed a major obstacle to foreign investment. Tourism has become an increasing source of revenue for Guatemala.

In March 2006, Guatemala's congress ratified the [[Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement|Dominican Republic – Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA)]] between several Central American nations and the United States.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070208022731/http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/gtm-summary-eng "Guatemala Report 2006: Summary Review"] ''Amnesty International'', 2006. Retrieved January 26, 2007.</ref> Guatemala also has [[free trade agreement]]s with [[Taiwan]] and [[Colombia]].

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Guatemala}}
[[File:Chichicastenango-004.jpg|thumb|Guatemalan girls in traditional dress, [[Chichicastenango]], 1996]]

[[Guatemala City]] is home to many of the nation's libraries and museums, including the National Archives, the National Library, and the Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, which has an extensive collection of Maya artifacts. There are private museums, such as the Ixchel, which focuses on textiles, and the Popol Vuh, which focuses on Maya archaeology. Both museums are housed inside the [[Universidad Francisco Marroquín]] campus. Almost each of the 329 municipalities in the country has a small museum.

===Art===
Guatemala has produced many indigenous artists who follow centuries-old Pre-Columbian traditions. However, reflecting Guatemala's colonial and post-colonial history, encounters with multiple global art movements also have produced a wealth of artists who have combined the traditional so-called "primitivism" or "naive" aesthetic with European, North American, and other traditions. The [[Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas "Rafael Rodríguez Padilla"]] is the country's leading art school, and several leading indigenous artists, also graduates of that school, are in the permanent collection of the Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno in the capital city. Contemporary Guatemalan artists who have gained reputations outside of Guatemala include Dagoberto Vásquez, [[Luis Rolando Ixquiac Xicara]], [[Carlos Mérida]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.latinartmuseum.com/merida.htm |title=retrieved September 28, 2009 |publisher=Latinartmuseum.com |date=October 1, 2009 |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref> [[Aníbal López]], [[Roberto González Goyri]], and Elmar René Rojas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.latinartmuseum.com/elmar_rojas.htm |title=Elmar Rojas y la utopia pictorica latinoamercana|publisher=Latinartmuseum.com |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref>

===Literature===
[[File:MiguelAngelAsturias.JPG|thumb|right|[[Miguel Ángel Asturias]].]]
The [[Guatemala National Prize in Literature]] is a one-time only award that recognizes an individual writer's body of work. It has been given annually since 1988 by the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

[[Miguel Ángel Asturias]] won the literature Nobel Prize in 1967. Among his famous books is ''[[El Señor Presidente]]'', a novel based on the government of [[Manuel Estrada Cabrera]].

[[Rigoberta Menchú]], winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting oppression of indigenous people in Guatemala, is famous for her books ''I, Rigoberta Menchú'' and ''Crossing Borders.''

===Music===
The [[music of Guatemala]] comprises a number of styles and expressions. Guatemalan social change has been empowered by music scenes such as [[Nueva cancion]], which blends together histories, present day issues, and the political values and struggles of common people. The [[Maya civilization|Maya]] had an intense musical practice, as is documented by [[iconography]]. Guatemala was also one of the first regions in the New World to be introduced to European music, from 1524 on. Many composers from the Renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, and contemporary music styles have contributed works of all genres. The [[marimba]] is the national instrument that has developed a large repertoire of very attractive pieces that have been popular for more than a century.

The ''Historia General de Guatemala'' has published a series of CDs of historical music of Guatemala, in which every style is represented, from the Maya, colonial period, independent and republican eras to current times. There are many contemporary music groups in Guatemala from [[Caribbean music]], [[Salsa music|salsa]], [[punta]] ([[Garifuna music|Garifuna]] influenced), [[Latin pop]], [[Music of Mexico|Mexican regional]], and [[mariachi]].

===Cuisine===
{{main|Guatemalan cuisine}}
Many traditional foods in Guatemalan cuisine are based on Maya cuisine and prominently feature corn, chilies and beans as key ingredients.
There are also foods that are commonly eaten on certain days of the week. For example, it is a popular custom to eat paches (a kind of tamale made from potatoes) on Thursday. Certain dishes are also associated with special occasions, such as fiambre for All Saints Day on November 1 and tamales, which are common around Christmas.

===Language===
{{see also|Central American Spanish|Guatemalan Spanish}}
[[File:Idiomasmap.svg|thumb|350px|A language map of Guatemala, according to the ''Comisión de Oficialización de los Dialectos Indígenas de Guatemala''. The "Castilian" areas represent Spanish.]]
Although Spanish is the official language, it is not universally spoken among the indigenous population, nor is it often spoken as a second language by the elderly indigenous. Twenty-one [[Mayan languages]] are spoken, especially in rural areas, as well as two non-Mayan [[Amerindian]] dialects, [[Xinca language|Xinca]], an indigenous dialect, and [[Garifuna language|Garifuna]], an [[Arawakan]] dialect spoken on the Caribbean coast. According to Decreto Número 19-2003, twenty-three dialects are unrecognized as National Languages.<ref name=Decreto19-2003>{{cite web |accessdate=June 10, 2007 |url=http://www.oj.gob.gt/es/QueEsOJ/EstructuraOJ/UnidadesAdministrativas/CentroAnalisisDocumentacionJudicial/cds/CDs%20leyes/2003/Leyes%20en%20PDF/Decretos%202003/Decreto%2019-2003.pdf |title=Ley de Idiomas Nacionales, Decreto Número 19-2003 |format=PDF |language=Spanish |publisher=El Conreso de la Republica de Guatemala}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2012|talk=Citation of Decreto 19-2003 on national languages}}

As a first and second language, Spanish is spoken by 93% of the population.

The peace accords signed in December 1996 provide for the translation of some official documents and voting materials into several indigenous languages (see summary of main substantive accords) and mandate the provision of interpreters in legal cases for non-Spanish speakers. The accord also sanctioned bilingual education in Spanish and indigenous languages. It is common for indigenous Guatemalans to learn or speak between two to five of the nation's other languages, and Spanish.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Guatemala}}
[[File:Catedral Metropolitana, Guatemala City.jpg|thumb|Catedral Metropolitana, [[Guatemala City]]]]
50–60% of the Guatemalan population is Catholic, 40% [[Protestantism|Protestant]] and 1% follow the indigenous [[Maya civilization|Mayan]] faith.<ref name = "state dept">{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71462.htm |title=state department |publisher=State.gov |date=September 15, 2006 |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=October 2011}} Catholicism was the official religion during the colonial era. However, the practice of Protestantism has increased markedly in recent decades. More than one third of Guatemalans are Protestant, chiefly [[Evangelicalism|Evangelicals]] and [[Pentecostal]]s. It is common for relevant Mayan practices to be incorporated into Catholic ceremonies and worship when they are sympathetic to the meaning of Catholic belief; this phenomenon is known as [[inculturation]].<ref>[http://www.focolare.org/en/news/2011/07/28/dal-guatemala-il-focolare-scuola-d%E2%80%99inculturazione/ From Guatemala: the focolare, a school of inculturation]. Focolare. July 28, 2011. Retrieved on 2012-01-02.</ref><ref>Duffey, Michael K [http://www.docstoc.com/docs/56028436/Guatemalan-Catholics-and-Mayas-the-future-of-dialogue%28Report%29 Guatemalan Catholics and Mayas: The Future of Dialogue]</ref>
The practice of traditional Mayan religion is increasing as a result of the cultural protections established under the peace accords. The government has instituted a policy of providing altars at every Mayan ruin found in the country so that traditional ceremonies may be performed there.
Among the Mayan population the [[National Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Guatemala]] is an important denomination, the church has 11 indigeous language Presbyteries.

There are also small communities of [[Jews in Guatemala|Jews]] estimated between 1200 and 2000,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90255.htm |title=Guatemala |publisher=State.gov |date=April 3, 2007 |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref> [[Islam in Guatemala|Muslims]] (1200), [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] at around 9000 to 12000,<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20091023130901/http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/country/?CountryID=64 Country Profile: Guatemala (Republic of Guatemala)]. religiousintelligence.co.uk</ref> and members of other faiths and those who do not profess any faith.

[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] currently has over 215,000 members in Guatemala, accounting for approximately 1.65% of the country's estimated population in 2008.<ref name=d1/> The first member of the LDS Church in Guatemala was baptized in 1948. Membership grew to 10,000 by 1966, and 18 years later, when the [[Guatemala City Temple]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lds.org/church/temples/guatemala-city-guatemala?lang=eng |title=Guatemala City Guatemala Temple Main |publisher=Lds.org |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://beta-newsroom.lds.org/topic/temples |archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20101222131747/http://beta-newsroom.lds.org/topic/temples |archivedate=2010-12-22 |title=Temples – LDS Newsroom |publisher=Newsroom.lds.org |accessdate=June 1, 2010|date=December 22, 2010}}</ref> was dedicated in 1984, membership had risen to 40,000. By 1998 membership had quadrupled again to 164,000.<ref name=d1>[http://www.dccalendar.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/contact-us/guatemala]{{Dead link|date=February 2011}}</ref> The LDS Church continues to grow in Guatemala; it has announced and begun the construction of the [[Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mormonwiki.com/Quetzaltenango_Guatemala_Temple |title=Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple – Mormonism, The Mormon Church, Beliefs, & Religion |publisher=MormonWiki |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref> the LDS Church's second temple in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mormones.org.gt/TemploQetzgo.htm |title=Templo Quetzaltenango |publisher=Mormones.org.gt |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}{{dead link|date=September 2013}}</ref>

===Funeral traditions===
[[File:San andres xecul church 2009.JPG|thumb|Church in [[San Andrés Xecul]]]]
When people pass away in rural Guatemala, they are usually buried as soon as possible, so as to provide a quick passage to [[heaven]]. [[Funerals]] generally include candles and [[rum]], and despite the local superstition that loud mourning and crying will slow down the deceased's journey to the next world; mourners usually cry very loudly, except at funerals for children. Deceased are buried with their treasured items to dissuade them from returning to haunt the people.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}}

===Education===
{{main|Education in Guatemala}}
The government runs a number of public elementary and secondary-level schools. These schools are free, though the cost of uniforms, books, supplies, and transportation makes them less accessible to the poorer segments of society and significant numbers of poor children do not attend school. Many middle and upper-class children go to private schools. The country also has one public university (USAC or [[Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala]]), and nine private ones (see [[List of universities in Guatemala]]). USAC was one of the first universities in Guatemala. It was officially declared a university on January 31, 1676 by royal command of King Charles II of Spain. Only 74.5% of the population aged 15 and over are literate, the lowest literacy rate in Central America. Although it has the lowest literacy rate, Guatemala is expected to change this within the next 20 years.<ref>[http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/document.aspx?ReportId=121&IF_Language=eng&BR_Country=3200&BR_Region=40520 Education (all levels) profile – Guatemala]. UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved on 2012-01-02.</ref> Organizations such as [[Child Aid]], which trains teachers in villages throughout the Central Highlands region, are working to improve educational outcomes for children. Lack of training for rural teachers is one of the key contributors to the country's low literacy rates.

===Health===

====Medical anthropology and pluralism====
In the 1950s, medical anthropologists such as Richard N. Adams, Benjamin D. Paul, and Lois Paul wrote monographs dedicated to the Maya medical beliefs and practices. Richard N. Adams, albeit secondary to his work, described the chasm between Maya medical beliefs and practices and Western science, and showed why Mayans rejected projects applied by the Institute of Nutrition for Central America and Panama (INCAP). His work is seen as setting the stage for four decades for medical anthropology in Guatemala by diagnosing the communication breakdown caused by "ignorance of local beliefs and practices." Many of those once affiliated with INCAP have since published works on various topics of interest to medical anthropology in Guatemala.

In the 20th century, several things came to undermine the indigenous way of practicing medicine. First, the religious persecution first administered by Catholic Action, then Protestant evangelical religions, and finally by Catholic Charismatics resulted in the prohibition of their members from consulting traditional healers. Secondly, certain elements of Guatemalan society systematically killed the upper rank of the Maya priests. Third, starting in the 1980s, the Guatemalan national health care system, based heavily on Western medicine, began to suppress traditional healers by banning them from practicing. While the health care system made efforts to train local midwives, some persons accused those programs of not giving culturally appropriate, high-quality services.

The disparity between Western biomedicine and traditional care has created tensions, i.e., NGO programs primarily focus today on those with higher education levels—those who speak Spanish—and rivalries hamper communication between Western-trained health care providers and traditional practitioners. Additionally, the medical professionals of Western biomedicine neglect the social experience of the patients, as well as the social construction of disease. Studies conducted in Mexico, Guatemala, and other rural areas support the position that many Western biomedical practitioners shun remote areas either because they cannot earn enough money there or because they discriminate against ethnic minorities.

Today, patients must choose between the two systems based on the complex conditions surrounding the ailment and decide which medical system most likely will provide a cure for their ailment.<ref>Walter Randolph Adams and John P. Hawkins, ''Health Care in Maya Guatemala: Confronting Medical Pluralism in a Developing Country'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007), 4–10.</ref>

===Laureates===
[[File:Rigoberta Menchu 2009 cropped.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Rigoberta Menchú]].]]
In 1967 [[Miguel Ángel Asturias]] won the [[Nobel prize in Literature]] for his body of work, including the novel ''[[El Señor Presidente]]'', which was controversial during Guatemala's civil war. It portrayed the horrors of life under authoritarian rule. [[Rigoberta Menchú]] won the [[Nobel Peace prize]] in 1992 for her work to gain civil rights for the Mayan people, and for assisting Mayan refugees in Mexico and the US, driven there because of the long civil war.

===Journalism===
There are seven national newspapers in TV, some of them being ''Noti7'', ''Telecentro Trece'' and ''Noticiero Guatevision''. The ''Guatemala Times'' is a digital English news magazine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guatemala-times.com/ |title='&#39;The Guatemala Times'&#39; |publisher=Guatemala-times.com |date= |accessdate=2013-09-22}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Guatemala|North America|Latin America}}
* [[Index of Guatemala-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Guatemala]]
* <!-- {{wikipedia books link|Guatemala}} -->
*[[International rankings of Guatemala]]
*[[LGBT rights in Guatemala]]
*[[List of Guatemalans]]
*[[List of places in Guatemala]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{see also|Bibliography of Guatemala}}
*{{cite book |title=Politics of Latin America: The Power Game |editors=Harry E. Vanden; Gary Prevost |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-19-512317-4 |chapter=Chapter Ten: Guatemala}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links}}
*[http://uzonreport.com/?page_id=124 Guatemala After the War 1996-2000, Photographs by Jorge Uzon]
*[http://www.latitudylongitud.com/ Guatemala Map Search with Longitude and Latitude]
*[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/701217/Guatemala Guatemala - Country Article] Encyclopaedia Britannica
*[http://www.guatemala.gob.gt/ Government of Guatemala] {{es icon}}
*[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-g/guatemala.html Chief of State and Cabinet Members]
*{{CIA World Factbook link|gt|Guatemala}}
*[http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/guatemala.htm Guatemala] at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''.
*{{dmoz|Regional/Central_America/Guatemala}}
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1215758.stm Guatemala profile] from the [[BBC News]].
*{{Wikiatlas|Guatemala}}
*[http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=GT Key Development Forecasts for Guatemala] from [[International Futures]].
*[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/guatemala/ The National Security Archive: Guatemala Project]
* [http://www.inguat.gob.gt/ Guatemala Tourism Commission]

{{Geographic location
| Northwest = {{Flag|Mexico}}
| North = {{Flag|Mexico}}
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| West = {{Flag|Mexico}}
| Centre = {{flagicon|GUA}} [[Outline of Guatemala|Guatemala]]
| East = Caribbean Sea
| Southwest = Pacific Ocean
| South = Pacific Ocean
| Southeast = {{Flag|Honduras}}<br />{{Flag|El Salvador}}
}}

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Revision as of 16:56, 5 December 2013

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